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Arrayan Path: The Marble Gates To Apeiron
Arrayan Path - The Marble Gates To Apeiron Album Art

Arrayan Path: The Marble Gates To Apeiron

Melodic Progressive Power Metal
4.5/5.0

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Pitch Black Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 18.11.2020 | Released: 27.11.2020

Cyprian band Arrayan Path has a musical legacy that dates back better than 20 years when the band was formed in Boston by Nicholas Leptos and Clement Fung. Their first studio album, Road To Macedonia, appeared in 2004. But Arrayan Path didn't really kick into gear until returning six years later with Terra Incognita. After this, albums came churning out about every one to two years. Arrayan Path has not only persevered successfully, but has been prodigious in their studio albums. Following 2018's large double album, Archegoni, the quartet returns with their eighth and latest album, The Marble Gates To Apeiron.

Arrayan Path - Click For Larger Image

Arrayan Path

Not so much a concept album (for which Arrayan Path has been known for), but the album has a central theme concerning human nature as it has developed through the ages and its reaction to life, death, religion, and a pandemic, among other things. Yet, Arrayan Path being who they are, there's also a smattering of Greek mythology. Apeiron has something to do with, and here's my best guess, the boundless and infinite cosmos apart from the natural world. The album is then divided into three parts, three songs each: The Past, The Present and The Future.

Musically, all these things are wrapped up in Arrayan Path's epic melodic heavy/power metal, infused with some prog metal influences. Of the many musical elements within the songs, several rise to the surface. One is simply the presence of Nicholas Leptos voice and vocal arrangements, which are strong and impressive. Second, between the twin guitars and gallop and groove of the rhythm section, and use of symphonic synths, the song arrangements have a heavy, dense, and expansive canvas, which is also typical of Arrayan Path. Also, stellar guitar solos abound. All these things are wrapped in strong song harmony and melody, with numerous catchy refrains. With these things in mind, let's consider a few songs.

For some essential power metal, complete with some symphonic effects, listen for the title cut, Virus, and the riff raging To Live Another Day and A Silent Masquerade. That last song, following a strong guitar solo, has a fine bass breakdown riding through more anxious riffage. It's also a clue to the aforementioned progressive metal nuances found within The Mask Of Sanity and The Cardinal Order.

Both songs are expansive and modestly complex with compositional twists and turns to keep you engaged. The former offers a thrilling guitar solo at the midpoint before dropping into a slight voice and piano breakdown. Then things move between heavy and speedy metal within a dense riff and synth context before the song ends with a voice and piano outro. The Cardinal Order is perhaps the most "progish" of all the songs. At the beginning and end there's a combination of acoustic guitar over some vicious riffage (and what sounds like Hammond) with a guitar solo following in the front part. At the half, another breakdown arrives with vocal harmony and acoustic guitar. This, in turn, yields to bombastic metal with sizzling guitar work which, in turn, yields to the softness of voice, piano, and acoustic guitar. What's next? A concluding bombastic crescendo to finish. Nice, and a great song.

Simply said, The Marble Gates To Apeiron finds Arrayan Path at their best, perhaps in their musical prime, offering engaging and entertaining melodic progressive power metal for fans who love the same. Easily recommended.




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The Bottom Line

Simply said, The Marble Gates To Apeiron finds Arrayan Path at their best, perhaps in their musical prime, offering engaging and entertaining melodic progressive power metal for fans who love the same. Easily recommended.

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